[chrisseaton]

I think you've got the wrong end of the discussion, there.

If you can't or don't want to turn you CRT off... then what's the next best thing for avoiding burn-in?

Send it a black signal, or send it a bright signal?

It's the black signal, because it charges the screen less. Charging the screen is what causes burn in. If you charge it less you get less burn in.

> Arguing that CRTs could display true black

Nobody argued this. Where did you think you read this? I said 'show a black image'. Send it a black signal. It's the minimum signal you can send it without turning it off.

[chrisco255]

Or just send it a random signal, such as static or even better, an aesthetic screensaver. Showing black on a CRT didn't save any power, and the computer stayed on anyways (since it often took 3-5 minutes to boot up in those days). Black could mean something is wrong or signal is disconnected.